Mentoring in higher education, experience in an extracurricular program

Abstract

This article analyzes the potential contributions of mentoring to the formative process of college students in an extracurricular program. The first section deals with the concept of mentoring and contemporary theoretical conceptualizations. The second section describes the case study a mentoring component within an extracurricular leadership program for college students with outstanding cognitive skills (Talentum-Universidad Program). It also describes methodology used, consisting in the analysis of the reports that mentors and mentees submitted for the first and last mentoring session. The final section presents the findings; based on the evidence, mentoring contributes to the formative process of college students in three areas: personal, academic and professional. The mentee's goals and the characteristics of the mentor are highlighted as key factors. In sum, the document adds to the existing but scarce research about mentoring practices in higher education.